


Tottering and Toddling

by Ecrivaisseur



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Cherish The Peanut Week, Fluffy, Gen, outlaw peanut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-22 12:16:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6078993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ecrivaisseur/pseuds/Ecrivaisseur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shot, OutlawQueen/OutlawPeanut. It’s the middle of Baby Locklsey’s 1st Birthday celebration, when suddenly the little Peanut does something unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tottering and Toddling

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of Cherish The Peanut Week, Day 1: Milestone, on Tumblr. I chose to name Baby Hood "Audrey", since the name means strength and noble, which seems fitting considering the child's family. I hope you enjoy it!

Granny’s Diner was decked out to the very tiniest detail in birthday decorations. It’s nothing glamorous like the magnificent birthday balls and galas that had occurred back in the Enchanted Forest, and the decorations are far from ornate: simple ‘Happy Birthday’ banners hung from the walls; multi-colored balloons were tied to the chairs and booth seats; festively-wrapped presents and gifts with large, bright bows dotted every table; steaming-delicious food, savory drinks, and sweet-smelling cakes that Granny had whipped up especially were spread out about the counter. It were those things, added with the large flux of people who had flooded into the diner that day in honor of the birthday girl, that made the place really look like a true celebration. 

“I can’t believe it was one year ago that this little peanut came into the world,” Regina whispers affectionately to her husband, as he cradles the birthday child in his arms lovingly. She is seated beside them in one of the diner’s booths, with Henry sitting opposite them, watching all the party guests flutter around them with grins on their faces. 

“One year today we were blessed with you, Audrey,” Robin added, his eyes dripping with affection as he stared at his beautiful child. He couldn’t help but see the magical resemblance his young daughter somehow had to his beautiful wife. 

“One year old!” Audrey manages to piece together in mumbled one-year-old speech, pointing with a tiny finger to herself and sending everyone around her swooning at her cuteness. 

“That’s right, my darling.” Robin kisses her forehead. 

In that instance, Roland comes zipping around the corner from one of the back halls of the diner, with another little boy hot on his heels in an eager chase. He swerves around the legs of the guests that filled the room, and comes to a sudden halt in front of Regina and Robin’s booth. 

“And what were you two doing?” Regina asks as Roland climbs up beside her. 

“Playing tag,” Roland says as he outstretches his little arms, “can I hold her?” While almost everyone in town had grown a certain fondness for little Audrey Locksley, Roland had developed a particular attachment to his little sister. Many a night they could be found playing together, and, though Roland was only six years old, it had seemed he had taken it upon himself to be her protector of sorts. It was a relationship that Regina and Robin found just too adorable. 

“Of course,” Robin carefully nudges Audrey forward, allowing her to crawl across Regina’s lap and into Roland’s. He doesn’t even need to add the typical ‘be careful with her’ because he already knows he would be. 

Regina pats Roland on the head as he lets his little sister play with his fingers. “For the birthday girl,” Granny says as she walks up to the group, sliding a nice, big slice of sugary-sweet cake in front of Audrey, prompting the girl to clap her small hands together enthusiastically. 

Picking up a fork, Regina sections off a small piece of the delicious food for the little girl to eat. However, before they know it, little Audrey’s pushed back Roland’s arm and is sliding onto the checkered-tile floor of the diner like a snail. Within seconds, she’s already crawling half-way across the room, a crowd of adoring people following close behind her. 

“Let her get some of that energy of her’s out!” Robin calls out as he and Regina follow her on her heels.  
On all fours, little Audrey moves rapidly to the very edge of the room, finding rest on the foot of a crocodile-skin shoe. Her wide eyes look up at the man before her, and an amused Rumple looks down at her with a small smile spread across his face. 

“Hello, little one.”

She reaches out and tugs at the edge of his pants, attempting to pull herself upwards though having difficulty doing so. Everyone watches, including Rumple, whose expression communicates he finds the whole encounter humorous. Their faces of delight, however, are quickly replaced by ones of surprise when the little one manages to stand up on her own two feet. While a little unbalanced and wobbly, she manages to toddle back across the floor to them. 

“She’s walking!” Roland cries, on his knees in front of everyone with his arms open to receive her in a hug. 

“Robin, get the camera!” Regina nudges his arm and points to her purse, as everyone else around them starts to clap proudly at the little child’s accomplishment. With not a second to lose, her husband darts to retrieve the camera, and a moment later all three of them are on their knees, recording little Audrey’s first steps on video. 

It finally comes to an end when she crashes into the three of them. Sweeping her off her feet, Robin picks her up and hugs her tightly, until he’s joined by Regina, Roland and Henry, all three congratulating her on her feat. 

It’s the perfect way to celebrate her first milestone.


End file.
